Konoha Café (AU)
by H. J. D. McIntyre
Summary: Sakura Haruno is a waitress at the famed Konoha Café, and despite having so many friends, she begins to feel like something is missing. However, when the mysterious Sasuke Uchiha starts to enter her world, she begins to become entangled in a whirlwind of secrets and emotions. Will she figure out who he is, and why he is so reclusive? Or will it only lead to disaster?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note : I hope you like this, and please leave comments, I love getting them. Also, it won't stay in this journal format, this is more of an introduction to the story, but I digress. Enjoy the story, and flames will be used to burn my enemies.

28th March

_Dear Diary_

_I am sixteen years old as of today because, you guessed it, it is my birthday today. Hooray me, I guess. _

_It's strange. When I was a kid, I used to get so excited about things like birthdays, but I really cannot bring myself to care. It just seems like a mockery. Yay. You're older. You have more responsibility than last year. _

_If anything, birthdays just irritate me. It means I get far more attention than I would like. Though I guess I do get nice presents, which I am not too fussed about but it reminds me that my friends care about me. That's a nice thing to have._

_This journal, infact, was a present from my best friend, and enemy, Ino Yamanaka. She said that it's about time I did something relatively girly. Like I'll waste my time writing about my 'feelings' and 'love life', which I have a drastic lack of according to her._

_Honestly, you would not believe that we were best friends._

_But since I have to write in this thing, I should probably introduce myself. Like it is a physical entity. Ha._

_Anyway, my name is Sakura Haruno. It means Blooming Field of Cherry Blossoms. Pretty, unlike myself._

_Like I said, I am 16 years old. _

_I also work as a waitress, at this café called Konoha Café. The name is very original, right? I wonder how long it took to think that one up._

_But I digress, many people would assume that being a waitress isn't suitable for a liveable lifestyle, but the pay is enough for me, so I don't mind it. I don't need more than I need to live, after all, do I?_

_It's nice to have Ino as a co-worker, she's also a waitress. She helped me a lot when I first took the job, as she has worked here longer than I have, and she is also the reason I continue to work here without getting bored or frustrated with the occasional stream of rude ungrateful customers. I'd like to see them try to take a job like this one._

_But, I'm ranting, yet again._

_I also work with a loud mouthed, annoying dimwit whose name is Naruto Uzumaki. He never ceases to amaze me. And I am not saying that in a good way. He is loud. He is unbearably rude. And he always manages to offend me or Ino._

_Yet, his good humour is what draws me to him, I guess. His optimism tends to have a positive effect on me, and it always feels like a boost to have a laugh with him._

_The fact that he is a great cook doesn't hurt, either._

_A lot of people who come to the café say that we would make a great couple, but really, we just don't see it that way. I love him, I do. But like a sister loves a brother, or like a best friend. I know he feels exactly the same way, though Ino says that she has seen him glance at me 'wistfully'. I choose not to believe a word that girl says mostly, though._

_Most people say that they dislike their bosses because they are rude, arrogant, or whatever else they have to throw at them. I, however, appreciate the sarcastic loud-mouthed woman that is my boss._

_Her name is Tsunade, but I have yet to find out her surname, or whether she even has one. She is well over 40, yet she looks like she is under 30. I guess she doesn't take aging well. I don't comment on this, because I really do like her. _

_That and she would probably kill me._

_But, all in all, she is like family to me and I wouldn't be the same person that I am today without some of her guidance._

_So, yeah, I have a reasonably good job. Good friends. Good life._

_Yet, why do I constantly feel so empty? Like something is missing? It's like my life is a puzzle, but there is just one piece that needs to be found and I just can't find it._

_Oh, well. Maybe it's just meant to be this way?_

_Who knows?_

_But what I definitely do not need, despite anything Ino pig says, is a boyfriend. I am just fine on my own, and nothing is going to change that._

_Nothing._

_Still, I can't help but wonder…_

_Ah, what's a girl to do?_


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note : Sorry for the two notifications you have probably just gotten, but I needed to edit a few mistakes and add a disclaimer.

I DO NOT OWN THE NARUTO SHOW, OR FRANCHISE OF MERCH, IF I DID, A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE

So anyway, hope you like this chapter~

29th March

It is morning.

I let myself relish in the momentary half conscious state I am in before slowly opening my eyes, wincing slightly at the bright light from the curtains which I had forgotten to close last night. Strange. I'm usually so particular about that kind of thing.

I was probably just too exhausted to close them. Ino had convinced me, miraculously, to go out to some bar and celebrate my birthday with her and a few friends - Hinata, Tenten and Temari, who had come all the way from Suna to celebrate. I guess she thought she still owed me for helping her brother, Kankuro, to get over a sickness bug.

There was a lot of drinking, though I only had one cup of sake before deciding that I would spend the rest of the night drinking water because I was clearly the only one who would be able to drive Ino home - and want to.

Even though I didn't drink a whole lot of alcohol, my head is pounding like a drum. Ugh. What a pain.

Sighing, I dragged myself out of the warm cocoon that is my bedsheet, to force myself into the surprisingly not cold air of my room. Cursing, I must have left the heating on in the dazed stupour that I had come home in, I walked to the bathroom and got myself ready.

Looking in the mirror of my dimly lit bathroom, I thought to myself that I probably wasn't all that bad looking. Big forehead. But I had clear skin, without any noticeable blemishes. I also had, what people would call a baby face, despite the past few years of telling my body to speed up and mature already. My face wasn't the only thing that I'd have liked to mature, I thought to myself as I glared down as my flat chest.

I looked intently into my large, greenish blue eyes, which were framed by short, but noticeable, dark eyelashes.

Yeah, I wasn't that bad. Not good looking by any measure. But not awful.

Meh.

"Hey Sakura!"

"Hey Ino!" I replied, trying not to sound like I had only had three hours of interr upted sleep, whilst tying my annoying apron, which always managed to undo itself. Tsunade really should get these replaced, although I see why you would try not to spend a lot of money if you threw a lot of it away on gambling.

"What even happened last night?" she groaned, clutching her head in mock agony and grinning, "My head still feels buzzy..."

I frowned at her, trying to look annoyed and unbothered at the same time, and I could not bring myself to understand whether it was possible or not to do so.

She laughed at the face I pulled, causing me to scowl even more but this time I wasn't really feeling all that annoyed at her.

"You threw up on me, then passed out in my yard, so not much..." I replied, trying to stay as serious as possible as her face grew shocked and confused, then her eyes narrowed as I couldn't keep it in and started spluttering with laughter.

After reassuring her a hundred times that I was kidding, Tsunade briskly reminded us that this was a business and that we should probably have been open several minutes ago.

This is where everything went strange.

I approached the door to open up for business, when I noticed an annoyed looking figure whom kept glancing up at the sign which tells you when the opening hours were. Whoops. We really were late for opening.

He was kinda handsome, actually, even with an irritated scowl plastered on his face. His skin was smooth and clear, with a paleness that contrasted dramatically to his ebony hair.

He noticed I was staring, and furrowed his already agitated brow further, whereupon I blushed at my idiocy and rushed towards the door, undoing the lock and hastily yanking it open.

"Hey, welcome to-

"Not interested." he interrupted, brushing past me without another word as I stood frozen with my mouth gaping open in shock.

My liking for him suddenly evaporated.

Turning around, and clenching my fists tightly in anger, I noticed Ino looking at me with a confused expression at the interaction. I raised an eyebrow at her, something that we usually did to signify a rude customer, to which she gave a slight 'ah' of understanding.

Sighing quietly, and reminding myself that it had cost well over my weekly pay the last time I broke something in anger, I approached where he was sitting.

"What would you like to order, Sir?" I asked, with as much of a polite air to it as I could muster, and slapped on a sickly grin to answer his indifferent expression.

"I would like to order a coffee, black and no sugars." he answered, still wearing that frustratingly blank look, "I assume this time it will not be ten minutes late."

I nodded, teeth gritting as I noticed Ino shaking her head at me, and walked towards the kitchen without a word.

"Here is your coffee..." I told the man, dryly, and ever-so-subtly slammed the mug on the table in front of him, relishing the look of faint surprise I received, "I had to rush for you, so it probably tastes like crap, but at least it wasn't late!"

I stood with my arms crossed over my chest in what I hoped was an aggressive stance, which was clearly working as I noticed his jaw clench in frustration.

"Thankyou. Now go away." he replied, his face returning to it's original 'I-don't-care' attitude, "You're annoying."

I barely registered the quickly thrown 'Please excuse us' that Ino gave, before I was dragged away from the table in a quick and not-so-gentle mannner.

I felt immensely annoyed and grateful at the same time.

Before I was in the kitchen, I noticed he was holding a notebook with his name written in neat, barely readable from this distance, handwriting.

Sasuke Uchiha.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note : This is shorter than the other chapters, but I hope you like it nonetheless. I tried to focus more on her relationship with Ino in this chapter. Their love-hate friendship is so relatable, yet so ignored in favour of pairing bashing and other distractions. Anywho, like I've said, comments/reviews are loved, so please feel free to leave a couple.

29th March (Continued)

Sasuke Uchiha.

Who does he think he is? If he thinks he is so special, I've never heard of him, although his surname does sound mighty familiar...

Still, if he thinks he can just waltz in here and insult me, he has another thing coming for him. I'd show him. I'll make his coffee wrong. I'll spill it on his shirt. I'll...

I let myself wonder on this, seething with unconcealed rage until I felt a the earth wobble, and realised I was being shaken quite roughly.

"Snap out of it, Sakura!" Ino snapped angrily, with a subtle hint of concern hidden in the tone, "You know you shouldn't act that way towards customers..."

I wrestled my way out of her grip, though she must have loosened her hold as I felt I got away far too quickly. A blinding hot rage gripped me, and my vision tinged red.

I suddenly didn't care if Tsunade fired me.

"Shouldn't act that way? Shouldn't act that way? Cha!" I yelled, as her grip on my shoulders grew tighter and she kept me still, "He wouldn't know polite if I slapped him in the face with it!"

Her face grew worried, and I noticed her quickly glance to the door, checking if he could hear us. Probably didn't want me to get us both in trouble. Wouldn't want to offend snobby over there, would we?

She suddenly loosened her grip again, and wrapped her arms around me in a gentle, comforting way. It reminded me of when we were children.

I used to go to her everytime I was angry or about to cry, because I had gotten injured with my clumsiness or I had my feelings hurt by some pathetic bully. And everytime, she used to hold me like this and let me either cry myself into exhaustion or just seethe silently until my anger evaporated. She used to smell like flowers, because she was - and still does this - helping arrange flowers with her mother. Lavendar was a prominent scent. I still think she did this because she knew I liked it.

She still smelt like lavendar. And I still liked it now.

I let myself rest my chin on her shoulder for some time, letting the emotions flow through me while she rubbed my back in a motherly fashion. Soon, I could feel myself returning to a stable emotional state and my anger had moreorless gone by now.

I felt silly getting so angry over a boy.

Pulling away, I saw her flash a mocking grin at my pout, and I couldn't help but laugh with her.

"You're the best, Ino Pig..." I mumbled, blushing and grinning like an idiot, looking upwards to take in her reaction.

"No problem, Forehead..." she replied, laughing and looking completely at ease with me now like we usually were with each other, "Now let's go and give that ass his bill so he can leave..."

When I entered the eating area, brandishing his beverage, I noticed that he was writing in his notebook. I sighed.

Maybe he had already been having a bad day, I thought as I remembered my mother's advice on trying to sympathise with other. After all, it would make things a lot worse having to stand outside in the freezing cold for several minutes.

Wafting over to the table, his eyes flickered upwards and he gave a weary sigh, and put his book down. I held back an annoyed 'Cha!'.

"Here's your bill..." I murmured, not quite sure what to say as he frowned at me in confusion.

He smirked, flashing a gleaming set of teeth.

"Where did all of that spunkiness go? I thought you were angry with me..." he replied smoothly, with a matter-of-fact tone to it.

I reminded myself of Ino, and Tsunade, and flashed a friendly smile. I relished the further confusion plastered on his face, before it was gone.

"Anyway, that coffee will be 500 Yen, please?" I asked in a sweet, what I hoped was polite enough tone.

He handed over the money, shaking his head and laughing quietly to himself.

"You're a strange one, you know that?" he commented, his eyes glinting with a smug sense of superiority, "No normal girl has ever raged at me like that before..."

"Well, maybe you've been focusing on weak girls?" I retorted, letting out an internal sigh that he was leaving. I was mentally exhausted, just talking to him.

As he got to the door, he turned around, pointed towards my name tag and said "Maybe I'll have to focus on you instead, Sakura Haruno...


End file.
